


the countdown begins and thanatos is content

by Tatsumaki_sama



Series: The Odyssey of Bryce Wayne [4]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Justice League - All Media Types, Superman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Doppelganger, Established Relationship, F/M, Female Bruce Wayne, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Love Triangles, Obsessive Behavior, One-Sided Attraction, Possessive Behavior, Romance, Unhealthy Relationships, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 16:49:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16067273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tatsumaki_sama/pseuds/Tatsumaki_sama
Summary: It was common knowledge that Clark would do anything for Bryce. But in a world where she has died, one wonders just how far he would go. Injustice!AU





	the countdown begins and thanatos is content

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been floating around some time and I finally got the time and inspiration to finish it. For the fun of it, I decided to rotate varying perspectives for this story and because of that, different characters will be referring to certain characters differently depending on the perspective.

He heard it.

 

And what a beautiful sound it was, to hear his child's heartbeat beating, nestled safely in his mother's womb.

 

As much as Clark loved Dick and Damian, they belonged to Bryce.

 

But this child would be one that he could call his own.

 

Bryce's and his.

 

“ It's too early for you to be smiling so loudly,” Bryce's tired voice grumbled at him, not even bothering to raise her head from her pillow.

 

Clark laughed as he pressed an apologetic kiss to her forehead.

 

There was nothing in the world that could stop his happiness.

 

~.~.~

 

Two heartbeats coming from one person ( _she_ was more than just one person, she was his entire _world_ ) ... just stopped.

 

The world was silent for a moment.

 

Before it exploded in a fiery wave of chaos.

 

~.~.~

 

When Bryce and the baby died, the person called Clark Kent died with them too.

 

It was only fitting that their family would be joined together in death.

 

~.~.~

 

“ High Councillor, you won't believe this, but Hawkgirl and I found someone – a woman – in a Batman costume. It's not Dick but – ”

 

Irritation rippled through. “ You called me just to tell me that?”

 

“ It's not that. I didn't believe my eyes when I saw her but we ran tests and – well, DNA says she's Bryce Wayne.”

 

Silence.

 

“ High Councillor?”

 

“ I'm on my way.”

 

~.~.~

 

Despite being aware she was in an alternate universe, Bryce was still taken back when she first saw this universe's Clark and Diana.

 

Everything about them, from their outfits, posture and behaviour, screamed wrongness and arrogance and ill-intent.

 

Diana's expression was carefully sculptured to indifference but her eyes betrayed a cold resentment directed right at Bryce ( _Jealousy?_ she mused. _Judging from the possessive stance of her body towards Clark, a love triangle perhaps with my doppelganger?_ ).

 

But it was Clark that surprised Bryce the most. There was an uncanny paleness over his face, making Clark appear eerily gaunt and harsh. His eyes, once soft and gentle, was hardened like chips of ice. They were the eyes of a murderer, a tyrant, one who would do anything to accomplish his goals.

 

And he was looking right at Bryce with a desperate longing that alarmed her.

 

“ Release her,” Clark ordered the guard who hastily hurried to comply.

 

Bryce barely had time to adjust to the sudden return of blood flow to her arms and legs before Clark was suddenly in front of her, sweeping her into an embrace, not unlike how _her_ Clark would do so in his happier moments.

 

Behind them, Diana's facade cracked and a barely contained snarl tugged against her mouth.

 

“ I missed you,” he murmured, his breath warm against her cheek. He cradled her in closer. “ Oh Rao, I missed you, Bryce.”

 

Until she was able to retrieve her belt where a kryptonite rock laid hidden and formulate an escape plan, Bryce wisely decided to remain silent.

 

~.~.~

 

“ Still can't believe Superman would lose it this bad,” Ollie was muttering. “ I mean, we all know how much he cared for Bryce but ...”

 

“ In Superman's mind, he not only killed Bryce but also Metropolis,” Nightwing – or now calling himself Batman – explained, grim and solemn. “ Joker, jealous of their relationship, decided to link the nuke's trigger to Bryce's heartbeat. When she and the baby died, Metropolis died with them. Then, Superman killed the Joker.”

 

It was horrifying to hear and even more terrifying to comprehend.

 

“ Our Clark would never do anything like that!” Hal was quick to defend.

 

Both Diana and Arthur nodded. “ We would stop him before he went that far.”

 

“ That's what we thought too,” Dick said bitterly. “ And look where we are now.”

 

~.~.~

 

Luthor remembered the day Clark ( _not Clark_ , he reminded himself, _he goes by Kal or Superman these days_ ) married Bryce, standing in as the best man. It was one of the very few times he had seen the Dark Knight without her usual cowl and her trademark scowl. They had been so happy then, all of them really.

 

Luthor found them in Superman's Fortress of Solitude (of course he would bring her there, it was notoriously hidden from prying eyes and just as difficult to reach; it would be ideal to keep and hold Bryce there).

 

Superman had laid his head over the alternate Bryce's lap, arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him. Luthor could tell how uncomfortable this Bryce was with such an intimate gesture, with how stiff her posture was, how she was subtly trying to ease her way out of his arms.

 

But regardless of how Bryce felt, Superman was unwilling to let go.

 

“ We could ... try again,” he was saying, voice so soft and gentle Luthor wanted to believe his old friend had returned. “ This time, you and our child would be kept safe. You will _never_ leave my side ever again. Now that you are here, we can be a family again.”

 

Bryce's mouth tightened. “ That won't happen.”

 

Superman froze. “ How could you say that, Bryce?” His voice trembled with hurt betrayal.

 

“ Because I am not _your_ Bryce.”

 

Straightforward and brutally honest. Luthor had always admire Bryce's frank outspokenness, but to say that to this Superman who was unpredictable and hopelessly shrouded in grief and mourning over her, he feared it would not end well for Bryce, no matter who she was.

 

So Luthor quickly stepped forward, making his presence known. “ Bryce! I thought Hal was pulling a prank on me but I'm glad I was mistaken,” he said as pleasantly and lightly as possible.

 

Superman released Bryce and subtly, she was able to breathe again.

 

 _One bomb defused for now_ , Luthor thought.

 

~.~.~

 

Diana watched with surly disapproval at how closely Kal was walking next to Bryce – not their Bryce, just some fake double who wanted to steal _her_ Kal away – like a lovesick puppy. It was sickening how Kal hovered over Bryce, never leaving her side, even ignoring Hal's concerns about the other doppelgangers.

 

And in doing so, made sure that she would never be out of his sight.

 

To her delight however, the happy reunion Kal had been desperately hoping for was not going well. Diana could not hear what was being said but she did not need to have super-hearing to know that Bryce was becoming more argumentative and Kal was reaching the limits of his patience.

 

So Diana was not entirely surprised to see Kal backhanding Bryce in a fit of rage.

 

Bryce slammed against the opposing wall, a sickeningly loud crack indicating that bone was broken. A dark wet dribble of blood stained the white wall, a reminder that Bryce was just as human as her double.

 

So easy to injure.

 

Just as easy to kill.

 

~.~.~

 

Hal had never thought Superman would hit his own wife, even one from a different universe.

 

Then again, he didn't really know the Superman standing before him anyways.

 

Diana watched with gleeful smugness. The others stood, content to observe as the scene unfolded, deciding it would be better to remain a bystander than to get involved.

 

Just like Hal himself.

 

Superman reacted first.

 

“ I didn't mean – Bryce, you're hurt!”

 

“ _Don't_ touch me.”

 

It was impressive that a mere human was able to speak in such a frightening tone. Regardless, Superman didn't listen to her and with the same hand that had struck Bryce, he pulled her up back on her feet.

 

To Bryce's credit, she did it all without even a wince, even if her jaw was tightened at the thought of Superman grabbing her without her permission. Her arm hung uselessly at her side. Her face was a cold mask despite the blood coating the side of her head.

 

Hal thought he should do something, speak up on Bryce's behalf, but fear won out and he stayed quiet.

 

~.~.~

 

For someone with different kinds of visions, Superman simply could not see that Bryce did not want him anywhere near her, turning her cheek away to deny him a kiss and flat out telling him to get the hell away from her.

 

The doctor, having some pity, asked for Superman to escort him out.

 

“ I'm sorry,” Barry finally said, as awkward as it was, after Superman left him as Bryce's sole guard dog.

 

_Sorry that you were dragged into this world. Sorry for what Superman did to you. Sorry that none of us did anything to help._

 

Bryce looked at him, her expression unsympathetic.

 

“ Then do something about it,” she harshly said.

 

~.~.~

 

“ I'm not doing this for you, Batman,” Damian spat. His tone softened slightly. “ I'm doing this for Mother.”

 

The Mother who had arrived was younger than the Mother he remembered. Without her cowl, her emotions were bare and exposed as her eyes widened a minuscule more than usual.

 

“ You've ... grown up, Damian,” Mother had said softly, a hint of barely concealed warmth in her eyes.

 

And just like that, he was a child again and he ran into her surprised but open arms.

 

Then, Superman had dared strike her.

 

He followed Superman because he had avenged his mother's death and gave death to others that deserved it. But now, Superman hurt Mother, even if it was not the Mother Damian had knew.

 

Superman might be considered his father in ways all but biological, but Mother was ... Mother.

 

Batman – Grayson, a part of his mind supplied – gazed upon him with an inscrutable expression. An alive Green Arrow fidgeted behind him.

 

“ That face of yours is unbecoming,” Damian snapped before brushing past the man he once called brother.

 

~.~.~

 

No sooner than Dick and Ollie entered discreetly into Superman's main study, they could hear Bryce's infuriatingly disapproving voice.

 

“ You're late. And making a lot of noise while you're at it.”

 

It had been five long years and Dick wasn't sure whether he should laugh or throw his hands up in exasperation that his mentor was already criticizing his actions (some things don't change).

 

“ Definitely the real Bryce,” Ollie quipped, easily leaping down to the floor. Dick followed suit.

 

Only for both to stop in their tracks.

 

Bryce was sitting in one of the chairs, still in uniform. Her cowl was off and that made it much worse because they were able to clearly see the extent of her injuries.

 

One side of her face was horribly bruised. Remnants of dried blood could be seen sticking to her hair amidst the white bandages around her temple. The arm on the same side was in a sling and cast. And from the way she was favouring that side, that leg was probably battered as well. All of which made Bryce seem smaller and vulnerable.

 

“ So you're the Batman who is causing all this fuss,” Bryce said casually, almost daring them to say something otherwise.

 

Dick did not rise to the bait regardless. “ I could say the same about you,” he retorted.

 

~.~.~

 

The way the enraged Not!Superman was looking at Bryce, and only Bryce, was disturbing, Ollie decided.

 

There was almost an animalistic hunger in his eyes. That kind of possessiveness towards a person Ollie had seen before in certain people and certain villains and it usually never ended well.

 

The fact that Bryce, who hardly blinked at all the crazy things they've encountered across the universe, looked apprehensive as Not!Superman approached them said a lot about what kind of person they were dealing with.

 

“ I will not let you take her away from me again!” Not!Superman snarled.

 

“ This Bryce has nothing to do with our world,” Not!Dick coolly said before either Ollie or Bryce could reply. “ She is not yours to begin with.”

 

“ Even now, you think because you are the favoured son, you can do better than me,” Not!Superman scoffed. “ You can't protect her like I can! I perfected this world!”

 

Not!Superman was too preoccupied in his ranting that he missed the inconspicuous nod that Not!Dick gave to Ollie and Bryce.

 

“ You didn't do this for Bryce,” Not!Dick shot back. “ You did it for yourself. And for what?”

 

“ I did it so no one else would lose someone like I did with Bryce! It was all for her!”

 

Ollie never thought he would see the day that a Dick Grayson would adopt a sneer. “ The Bryce I knew would have hated your world.”

 

Just before the three of them jumped and Cyborg was able to teleport them away to Not!Superman's explosive fury.

 

~.~.~

 

Any relief at seeing Bryce was quickly stamped out with horror the moment Clark saw the bruises across her face.

 

He was torn between sweeping Bryce into an embrace or reaching out to inspect each wound. He settled for standing in front of Bryce, fists clenched at his sides.

 

“ Are you all right, Bryce? Who did this to you?”

 

“ That's unrelevant at this time,” She dismissed his concerns with no more than a jerk of her head. “ We have bigger concerns.”

 

“ Bryce – ”

 

The glare she leveled on him ended the debate.

 

But a cold dread was seeping in his blood. Someone in this world had hurt Bryce and left lasting injuries on her. Was it accidental? If it was, Bryce would have made a dry comment about it. Instead, she deliberately downplayed it. So it must have been intentional.

 

When Clark found out who did this, he had some choice words to say to that person.

 

~.~.~

 

Once Clark had gotten over the shock of seeing his own double in front of him, there was something akin to pity settling in his stomach.

 

“ I can understand your pain.” His voice softened. “ If something happened to Bryce, I – ”

 

“ And you dare judge me?!” the other him hissed. His lip curled scathingly. “ Once I killed you, Bryce will stay here. She hasn't seen the rest of the world yet. I'll make her see that this world is better than yours. After she sees how perfect and whole and _safe_ it is – ”

 

“ Can't you tell she doesn't want to stay here?”

 

“ She'll be alive! And she will be with _me_!”

 

Clark fought to temper his anger at how Bryce was nothing more than an object and less of a person to his double. “ Then there is no other way to reason with you?” he quietly asked.

 

The other Clark let out a cruel laugh. “ You have something I want. And I'll do _anything_ to get it.”

 

~.~.~

 

“ Hey there.”

 

A warm hand brushed against her neck – _“ You're **my** wife,” a voice growled. “ Why won't you let me touch you?”_ – and Bryce unconsciously recoiled, going on the defensive, and Clark's hand immediately withdrew.

 

“ Sorry! I shouldn't have – I should have told you I was going to do that.” Apologetic. Sincere. Nothing like _him_.

 

Bryce relaxed. “ It's fine, Clark,” she said. This Clark had nothing to do with the other Superman. She should not be taking out of her frustrations against him.

 

Still, remorseful blue eyes gazed at her. “ He was the one who caused your injuries,” Clark quietly said.

 

It was not a question. “ Yes,” she simply said.

 

“ I'm sorry.”

 

She fought not to sigh. Clark had a habit of blaming himself for things beyond his control. Perhaps she could understand, though not agree with, where the other Superman was coming from. “ You did not do this,” she reasonably pointed out.

 

“ But – ”

 

This time, Bryce stood up and shot him a look. “ _You_ did not do this,” she repeated firmly.

 

The tension in Clark's shoulders eased. Just slightly though. A barely noticeable twitch of his hand. A desire to reach out and touch her, not for his sake but to comfort her.

 

Clark had a far too big of a heart for his own good. Proof he wouldn't become like _that_ man.

 

“ Though if you do decide to become an insane dictator, I _will_ make kryptonite look harmless.”

 

Clark laughed and Bryce took the time to indulge him – only this one time though – and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth as part of her own apology to him for making him worry, much to Clark's pleasant surprise.

 

“ And stop smiling so loudly,” she grumbled and Clark just grinned affectionately at her before pulling her into a warm and safe embrace.

 


End file.
